>> Steve Evans
bio:ENG: The road leading to vocal jazz has been long and varied for Chicago based singer, Steve Evans. A boy soprano, Evans spent his childhood singing in front of the congregation. He was a classically trained vocalist throughout his teen years and as a student of the Interlochen Arts Academy was groomed for the Opera. This was not to be. Evans found the music too confining and believed his real passion lay in acting. The pursuit of this craft led him to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, and from there to an apprenticeship with Russian theater icon George Schdanoff (co-creator of the Michael Chekhov technique). Fueled by the discipline of the Russian artists Evans sought out Slava Dolgechev, renowned director of the Moscow Art Theater, and spent three terms studying the work of Stanislavski with him. At about this time he happened into a small record store in the middle of nowhere and heard the classic album John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman playing. Needless to say this music changed the course of his life. Evans knew that in order to fully embrace the new world that was opening up for him he would need a complete understanding of jazz theory, harmony, piano, and arranging. After being invited to study at both the Manhattan School of Music and The Berklee College of Music, he opted for the latter. It turned out to be the right choice as he was offered the opportunity to spend two years along side of celebrated jazz vocalist Kevin Mahogany as his chief instructor. After leaving Berklee Mr. Evans placed himself in the middle of Chicago’s thriving jazz scene and has been a mainstay ever since. In the already narrow field of male jazz vocalists Evans stands out. His choice of material, (Tom Waits, Nick Drake, Arto Lindsay, Van Morrison, Milton Nascimento, Benjamin Britten....) and tenor range along with strikingly original arrangements create a sound that is entirely unique.
ITA: Il percorso che porta al jazz vocale per Steve Evans è stato lungo e vario: da bambino viene istruito come cantante classico e, molto dotato vocalmente, arriva alla Interlochen Arts Academy. Il suo naturale destino è l’opera. Ma va oltre, si appassiona all'arte della recitazione, lascia Chicago e si trasferisce a Londra, dove approda alla Royal Academy di Arti Drammatiche. Il suo maestro è George Schdanoff, l’icona del teatro russo e co-creatore della tecnica recitativa di Michael Chekhov. Evans incontra quindi Slava Dolgechev, rinomato direttore del Teatro d’Arte di Mosca, e studia con lui il famoso metodo Stanislavski. Durante questo periodo entra in un piccolo negozio di dischi, dove per la prima volta ascolta John Coltrane e Johnny Hartman. Neanche a dirlo, questa musica cambia invece il corso della sua vita.
Inizia a studiare il jazz nella forma teorica più basilare: armonia, pianoforte ed arrangiamento. Accetta un invito del Berklee College of Music, la celebre scuola californiana. Qui incontra Kevin Mahogany, nella veste di suo master teacher. Ritorna quindi nella sua Chicago, culla creativa del jazz del secolo scorso, e si inserisce nelle sempre viva scena locale.
Dà vita ad un quartetto jazz, debuttano con un disco dal vivo, " 2 Sets", registrato in presa diretta. La scelta del repertorio artistico è ardita e insolita allo stesso tempo, reinterpretando brani di Nick Drake, Tom Jones, Arto Lindsay, ma anche di Percy Heath ed Harold Arden. Il feeling dei musicisti che si percepisce dall'ascolto del disco è impressionante. Il contrabasso di Jake Vinsel è una guida perfetta per il timbro tenorile di Evans, mentre il il pianista Noritake Tanaka ed il pianista Leandro Lopez Varady aiutano a distendere la tessitura compositiva, sulla quale l'artista di Chicago si esprime al massimo.
All'’interno del già ristretto campo delle voci maschili jazz internazionali, il timbro di Steve Evans si distingue per la sua estensione da tenore, per gli arrangiamenti originali e per il suo intimismo.
PRESS: "indeed, it would not be an exaggeration to note that Evan's debut as a bona fide jazz singer is the most exciting since the mid-1990s..." Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune
"Evans was something else, his positively ecstatic vocals left the crows begging for more" Octavio Roca, San Francisco Chronicle
"A voice that can conjure up a lifes' worth of joy and sorrows with the minutest of inflections" Chicago Magazine
"Evans is an interpretive black belt on the same level as Kurt Elling and Tierney Sutton" AllAboutJazz
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